Friday Feature No. 23 -- Featuring Hullabaloo Boutique

Happy Friday! YAY! WOO HOO! It's been a long week, because I haven't gotten much sleep. My hubby went hunting for 5 days, and I have a tendency to not fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning when he's gone. He's back now, so I'm sleeping better. It's SO good to have him back at home!

Are you ready for school to start? Or have your kids already started? Our 14 year old is entering into the public school system for the first time in his life! And he's going in as a high school freshman! We're nervous, and excited, and so is he! I think we were probably the only parents at freshman orientation, but he is a special needs student, and since we've not been a part of the public school system since the late 80's, we wanted to be there. He did really well. We're so proud of him. So now he starts on Monday. This should be a huge change for us all, but it will definitely be a good one.

Ok, I need to ask for your forgiveness. I had 166 comments on last week's Friday Feature...all entries for people who were hoping to win the earrings. The only problem is, that there are now only 117 comments. Why? Well, because I deleted all comments that had no email address or way for me to contact the person if they won. I don't think it's fair to all of those who actually followed the directions on how to enter, to have to be in a bigger "pot", so I ended up deleting 49 comments!

PLEASE, if you're going to enter our giveaways, PLEASE read the whole set of directions, and PLEASE leave an email or way for me to contact you. You don't even have to have a Blogger account, but I do need a way to get ahold of you. I hope that you will forgive me if I deleted your comment. I really wish I didn't have to, but it makes things easier, to be able to choose from those whom I know I can get ahold of.

So for those of you who followed the directions, we narrowed the competitive field, so that you would have a better chance of winning. We chose our winner through random.org, and our winner is "moonmaiden", whose favorite earrings were the "Aurora" earrings. Congratulations!

This week, we are going to be featuring a shop that I would definitely be buying from if I had a little girl! Nicci, of Hullabaloo Boutique has agreed to being featured here on The Downtown Boutique, and she has a GREAT giveaway for our readers!!! Be sure to go to Nicci's Etsy shop and check out her gorgeous and fun line of children's clothing.

Let's get to know Nicci a little better.

TDB: Nicci, when did you first learn to sew, and why?

Nicci: About 7 years ago I bought a sewing machine with the intentions of making accessories for my home. I never read the manual to my machine because I was just too excited to get started. I whipped out a few pillows that eventually came apart. Instead of reading the manual to figure out what went wrong I just put my sewing machine away (this is very typical of me). Five years later while shopping for custom boutique clothing for my two year old daughter, I was inspired to create my own clothing for her. Nevermind the fact that I really didn't know how to sew or the fact that I lost the manual to my machine, I was determined and knew I could figure it out on my own. Instead of buying a pattern, I turned a dress of my daughter's inside out and figured out how to make it. After lots and lots of practice, studying, and research I started to get the hang of it. Soon enough I started designing my own patterns, upgraded to a serger and opened a business (kind of in that order). Every piece I make is better than the next. My confidence has grown and my designs have improved to a level I am proud of.

TDB: What is your favorite item to create?

Nicci: Obviously, clothing is my favorite item to create. I get such satisfaction out of combining fabrics and experimenting with designs. It is very rewarding but more importantly, a way to express myself creatively.

TDB: Your clothing is just gorgeous. What is your inspiration behind the pieces you create?

Nicci: I mainly find my inspiration by searching for fabric. It is an addiction. When I see a fabric I love, I usually know immediately what design I will create for it. Seeing my children in my designs and their friends in my designs always inspires me to create more and more. When friends, family and strangers ooh and ahh over my clothing, I am always stunned. That, alone, is a major source of inspiration!

TDB: How do you juggle married life, children, and a business?

Nicci: Ha! What a great choice of words!I am not very good at juggling.This is my biggest daily challenge. I am not one to easily follow a schedule.....I never have been, but I am finding it is a necessary evil. Often I have to be inspired to create and that doesn't happen at the same time everyday. When I do get inspired, I want to spend hours and hours creating, but it just isn't possible. Trying to decide daily what needs the most attention is basically how I function.

If my house is an utter disaster I have to spend the day cleaning. If my kids are restless, I choose to spend the day playing and goofing off so we can all have a little bit of fun. It recharges me. If I am feeling creative, I design and sew while my little ones destroy the house. I would love desperately to follow a schedule, have even designed one, but I am intimidated and overwhelmed when it comes down to it.

As for spending time with my husband, Monday nights are ours. We have a babysitter and we get out of the house. Unfortunately, we don't get to spend too much time during the week together because as soon as the kids go to bed, I go to my sewing room. Saturday evenings are our family nights. Whether playing games, sitting in the backyard with a fire roasting marshmallows or staying in watching a movie, my husband and I try to dedicate that time for our family.

TDB: Who is your favorite fabric designer?

Nicci: There are so many. I really like April Cornell, Jennifer Paganelli, Heather Bailey, Amy Schmidt, Robert Kauffman, Alexander Henry.....

TDB: If you could vacation anywhere in the world for one whole month, where would it be, and why?

Nicci: Uh, vacation? What's that? Hmmm, I think I would choose somewhere mountainous, surrounded by lakes, cool air, crisp leaves on the ground, the smell of a campfire, an adirondack chair and a warm blanket. Where ever that location may be, that's where I would want to spend a month. I feel absolutely refreshed watching a campfire and looking out over a serene lake on a cool autumn evening. That to me is heaven on earth, aka, mother nature.

TDB: Do you sell your clothing anywhere else, other than Etsy?

Nicci: Other than etsy, I am currently designing part of the fall line for a local boutique. Occasionally I sell on ebay but love etsy much, much more.

Thanks so much Nicci! I'm definitely with ya on the vacation thing! There's nothing like a campfire, a lake, and a cool evening to relax a body!

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The GIVEAWAY: $25 Gift Certificate to be used in Nicci's Etsy shop, Hullabaloo Boutique.

TO ENTER:

Please visit Hullabaloo Boutique and let us know what you would spend the $25 on, if you won.

Please leave one comment per person.

To earn 1 extra entry, you can blog about this giveaway. If you choose to blog about it, please leave a separate comment.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE leave an email address, if there is not one in your Blogger profile. If you don't have a Blogger profile, and would still like to enter, please be sure that you give me an EASY way to get ahold of you if you win.

Any comments that are left, that don't follow these directions will be deleted.

Deadline to enter: Thursday, August 28th at Midnight PST.

Have fun!

Angie